Horned Lark
Horned Lark has risen sharply: up 62% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Horned Lark
The Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a North American member of the Larks (Alaudidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the grassland birds.
- Size
- 6.5–8 in long (16–20 cm) — a small ground bird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, prairie, pasture and hayfields.
- Diet
- Seeds and insects gathered from grasses and the ground.
- Range
- Recorded on 2,519 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 47 states, most concentrated in the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie.
- Family
- Alaudidae · Grassland birds
Notable Horned Lark Trends
Horned Lark has risen sharply in surveyed states: up 62% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Horned Lark Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Horned Lark is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 12 (95% range 7.8–17). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±15.8%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | 7.9 | 17 |
| 2026 | 12 | 7.9 | 17 |
| 2027 | 12 | 7.9 | 17 |
| 2028 | 12 | 7.9 | 17 |
| 2029 | 12 | 7.8 | 17 |
Where the Horned Lark Is Detected
BBS routes recording Horned Lark, sized by most recent count.
Horned Lark Population Trend by State
| Alabama | -25% | 1969 | 15 |
| Alaska | +83% | 1986 | 8 |
| Arizona | -73% | 1970 | 70 |
| Arkansas | -24% | 1969 | 23 |
| California | -74% | 1970 | 159 |
| Colorado | -50% | 1970 | 114 |
| Connecticut | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Delaware | +46% | 1968 | 17 |
| Georgia | +603% | 1984 | 21 |
| Idaho | +9% | 1970 | 44 |
| Illinois | -71% | 1968 | 102 |
| Indiana | -35% | 1968 | 65 |
| Iowa | -86% | 1969 | 39 |
| Kansas | +8% | 1969 | 67 |
| Kentucky | -81% | 1968 | 41 |
| Louisiana | -29% | 1973 | 13 |
| Maine | -83% | 1979 | 8 |
| Maryland | -51% | 1968 | 66 |
| Massachusetts | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Michigan | -38% | 1968 | 72 |
| Minnesota | +178% | 1969 | 65 |
| Mississippi | +26% | 1969 | 22 |
| Missouri | -57% | 1969 | 75 |
| Montana | -1% | 1970 | 87 |
| Nebraska | +6% | 1969 | 75 |
| Nevada | -30% | 1970 | 54 |
| New Jersey | -63% | 1968 | 12 |
| New Mexico | -63% | 1970 | 77 |
| New York | -35% | 1968 | 76 |
| North Carolina | +461% | 1974 | 46 |
| North Dakota | -32% | 1969 | 51 |
| Ohio | -14% | 1968 | 76 |
| Oklahoma | 12× | 1969 | 55 |
| Oregon | +35% | 1970 | 64 |
| Pennsylvania | -62% | 1968 | 100 |
| Rhode Island | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| South Carolina | -65% | 1985 | 17 |
| South Dakota | -72% | 1969 | 54 |
| Tennessee | -71% | 1968 | 32 |
| Texas | +80% | 1969 | 117 |
| Utah | +59% | 1970 | 97 |
| Vermont | -74% | 1969 | 8 |
| Virginia | -82% | 1968 | 39 |
| Washington | -47% | 1970 | 47 |
| West Virginia | -93% | 1968 | 20 |
| Wisconsin | -8% | 1968 | 79 |
| Wyoming | -39% | 1970 | 124 |
Horned Lark Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
Horned Lark Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 62% since 1968. Grassland birds are North America's steepest-declining group, down roughly 50% since 1970 as prairie and pasture were lost.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.